The Tiny Desk is working from home for the foreseeable future. Introducing NPR Music's Tiny Desk (home) concerts, bringing you performances from across the country and the world. It's the same spirit — stripped-down sets, an intimate setting — just a different space.
Whenever I'm asked to name my favorite Tiny Desk concerts, Nick Hakim's 2018 performance sits near the very top. He and his four bandmates reset the bar for intimacy at the Desk with their hushed groove. That's why I was so excited to hear what he would do all alone from his home in Bushwick, Brooklyn.
The Washington, D.C. native played from the corner of his dark bedroom with a keyboard, guitar and stacks of audio components. His recording environment is just what I expected. He performs a three songs from his upcoming album WILL THIS MAKE ME GOOD: a haunting dedication to a fallen friend, "QADIR," the newly released "CRUMPY" and the premiere of "GODS DIRTY WORK." He also shows off his peculiar sense of humor, activating a mini applause effect between songs, sipping his beverage right into the microphone and breaking into laughter. While he doesn't engage in much banter, the lyrics in songs like "GODS DIRTY WORK" are eerily fitting for this moment we're in.
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